RICHMOND, Va. – For the second year in a row and for the 10th time overall, a Virginia Tech football player has taken home the Dudley Award, given to the state’s top Division I collegiate football player. Tech senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor was presented the award Tuesday night in Richmond. The award is voted on by state media and is sponsored by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Richmond Touchdown Club.

Taylor, a senior, was the player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led Virginia Tech to a victory in the ACC championship game and a berth in the Orange Bowl. This season, he has completed 172 of 284 passes for 2,521 yards, 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Tyler Beiler, wide receiver from Bridgewater College, was the recipient of the Willie Lanier Award, given to the player judged the best among Division II, III and NAIA competitors in the state. Beiler, a senior, caught 61 passes for 1,342 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He also had 717 yards in kickoff and punt returns. He was second in the nation among Division III players in receiving yards and first in all-purpose yards per game.

The Dudley Award is named in honor of the late William “Bullet Bill” Dudley, a star player at the University of Virginia. He played in the NFL for Pittsburgh, Detroit and Washington and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Lanier Award is named for Willie Lanier, a Richmond native and resident and also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Lanier played at Maggie Walker High School, Morgan State University and for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Linebacker Cody Grimm won the award last year representing Tech. Prior to him, the last Hokie to win the award was linebacker Vince Hall, who capped off a run of five-straight Tech players to win the award (Lee Suggs, 2002; Kevin Jones, 2003; Bryan Randall, 2004; Darryl Tapp, 2005; and Hall). Additionally, Jim Pyne won in 1993, Cornell Brown won in 1995, Corey Moore won in 1999 and Suggs won his first of two Dudley Awards in 2000.

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